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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hand · date · safe · present · stem · jam · kid · net

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. hand — help
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. date — the fruit
  6. net — after costs
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. present — the time now
  10. net — for catching
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. net — in sport
  16. kid — to tease
  17. present — a gift
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. present — there
  23. hand — in cards
  24. kid — child

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com